What if I desire other things more than God? Can I work in war and weaponry? Where did Pilate judge Jesus?

What if you want to love God more but, honestly, find your job, hobbies, or a crime novel more interesting than reading the Bible?

Tom Wright and Mike Bird begin this episode with a deeply personal listener question about desire, spiritual anxiety and assurance. If our enthusiasm for prayer and Scripture comes and goes, should we worry that our faith isn’t genuine? Tom explores different ways of encountering God through Scripture, particularly the Psalms and imaginative reading of the Gospels, while arguing that our ordinary passions and vocations can themselves belong within God’s purposes.

Then, can a Christian in good conscience help manufacture equipment that will ultimately be used in warfare? Tom considers Christian involvement in defence, the importance of conscience and the difficult moral responsibility we carry for the work we do.

Finally, where exactly was Jesus judged by Pontius Pilate? Tom examines John 18–19, what we know about Roman trials and public life in the ancient world, and whether crowds really could have witnessed the events leading to Jesus’ crucifixion.